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Anime fandom
Overview Anime is narrowly construed to mean animated cartoon tv shows from Japan. However, Anime fandom is widely understood to include other aspects of Japanese culture, including manga (Japanese comic books), doujinshi (fan works), novels, and video games, and even aspects of Japanese culture such as food, kimono, martial arts, and history. There are two main genres of anime and manga geared toward women in Japan: ''shojo'' and josei. Female fans of Anime meet layered feminism problems due to this cultural transfer, because they are not only dealing with American conceptions of woman and female geek, but also Japanese cultural expectations of femininity and racist views of some American men concerning Japanese women. Women in anime fandom * Erica Friedman - anime fan, creator of Yuricon, chief editor of ALC Publishing * Rica Takashima - mangaka Issues facing women in anime fandom Famous incidents Controversial Anime Chobits Controversial for its portrayal of the main character as a sexualized robot created to look like a 14 year old girl whose only purpose in life is to find a man to love her. Revolutionary Girl Utena Controversial for one of the main themes, which is a group of (mostly) young men fighting for possession of a woman. Anime centers around a girl, Utena, who decides she's not going to be just another princess and wants to be a prince and do the rescuing herself. In addition to the theme of challenging gender roles, there are also themes about sexual identity, incest, and sexual abuse. Arguably, one of the messages of the anime is that love between women can change the world -- which can also be considered controversial. Seraphim Call This series of 12 visual short stories addresses a number of themes about women, including career choice, the construction of femininity, and sexuality. However, many of the stories contain problematic elements that aren't handled especially well, including traditional feminine roles, stalking, and sexualization of the female body. Vision of Escaflowne Known as a transitional anime--that is, transitional between the shojo (girl) and shonen (boy) genres--it is frequently compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion. The character development is typical of shojo anime, but the backdrop of war, battles, and giant mecha is clearly drawn from shonen anime. Escaflowne flouts tradition by having a central female character who is strong, outgoing, and full of agency. Unfortunately, the series ends with a plot twist that retroactively removes all agency from the main character, Hitomi, throughout the story and actually makes her use of agency the cause of much woe. This ending makes Escaflowne becomes extremely problematic for the female viewer. Recommended Anime Haibane Renmei Recommended for an intricate examination of intense emotional relationships between young women, with very little involvement from the very secondary male characters. Revolutionary Girl Utena This anime, controversial as it is baroque, surreal, and thoughtful, has become the poster child for many feminist viewpoints in anime fandom, as well as for fans of shojo-ai (girl love). Saiunkoku Monogatari, or The Story of Saiunkoku Recommended for the gender reversal of the popular "harem theme" as well as the main character, a girl who rejects marriage and gender roles in order to fulfill her career dreams. Seirei no Moribito, or Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit This anime takes place in historical Japan and contains both supernatural elements and a strong female protagonist. Ouran High School Host Club This anime is about Haruhi a girl that gets mistaken for a boy and her adventures of being in the all male "host club" at school to pay for a vase she broke. Resources Category:Communities